


Heart of gold

by eiramew



Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: F/F, Friends to Lovers, I suppose, healing old wounds...
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-08
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-11-13 16:14:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18034910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eiramew/pseuds/eiramew
Summary: "What's going on here?"The two guards turned around, eyes suddenly filled with panic as they recognised their superior. One of them punched the shoulder of his counterpart holding a food tray."The new recruit won't bring the tray to Doctor Hypatia."





	Heart of gold

**Author's Note:**

> [That's what Leah looks like if you're curious](https://66.media.tumblr.com/525327e1cd2e540aeaa8ce9826452fec/tumblr_po4pz5hXZ11tnztz7o1_1280.png)  
> I hope you'll enjoy :) there's a First Aid Kit song reference hidden somewhere in the text ;)

Set somewhere before Hypatia drinks the serum and after Abele decides to bring Delilah back. He's still trying to figure out a way to get her back so the crown killer isn't involved in his plans at the moment. He knows Hypatia will be of use later so that's why he's starting to fill Addermire with guards.

* * *

 

"There's no way I'm going in there. Bloodflies are the worst!" 

"Well I've had to go there last week so now it's your turn! Come on you lazy piece of -" 

"What's going on here?" 

The two guards turned around, eyes suddenly filled with panic as they recognised their superior. One of them punched the shoulder of his counterpart holding a food tray. 

"The new recruit won't bring the tray to Doctor Hypatia."

"No-one told me I would have to go through a bloodflies-infested corridor!" 

Ivashchenko snapped the tray from the guard's hands. 

"Give me that. And don't think this will go unnoticed. I'll fill a report as soon as I come back. Now leave before I make you."

 

\---

 

"Good afternoon Doctor Hypatia. I apologise for the delay, it seems that a new recruit is already causing troubles. We'll take care of him shortly."

"Oh. You... came to me?" 

Witnessing the guard's total disbelief, the doctor added: "The other guards usually leave the food tray in front of the door."

"Do they really?" 

"Oh, yes?"

The doctor whispered. Both women starred at each other for a while. Despite having been stationed at Addermire for a few months, Leah never really had the opportunity to meet face to face with the _good doctor_ before.

Something caught Leah's eye before their silence became too awkward to bear. 

"Is that valerian?" 

Hypatia turned around and offered the guard a genuine smile. 

"Yes, yes it is." 

She settled the tray far away from the doctor's workstation. 

"What are you using it for? Sedatives?" 

"Yes, sedatives and pain relievers."

Leah suddenly remembered overhearing a few other guards joking about Hypatia's eyes, saying that she was so empty that you could see the void in them. _How wrong. There is nothing but life in those eyes._  

"I heard valerian can also be used as an anticonvulsant."

Hypatia smiled and proceeded to wipe her hands with a clean towel. 

"It can indeed." She paused for a moment, absorbing herself into a thorough inspection of her own fingers. "Where did you learn all this, if you don't mind me asking?" 

"Oh, this? My father taught me most of it. My family is - _was_ \- from Tyvia. My father was a lumberjack, I spent a lot of time with him in the forest before we moved to Gristol."

"So you're Tyvian..." The doctor whispered. "I've always wanted to go to another province."

"Really? There's not much to do except walk in the forest. Tyvia's cold." Leah smiled. "But I've been told I was born to endure this kind of weather"

Hypatia looked at the food tray for a short moment before returning her attention to Leah. 

"I don't think I caught your name..." 

"Ivashchenko. Leah Ivashchenko."

Her head tilted slightly to the side. 

"What happened to you face?" 

Leah frowned. 

“What happened isn’t important. What matters is that it will never happen again."

The doctor let out a quiet laugh. 

"I take it that you are a woman of mystery. I understand the fascination one can have with such a peculiar scar, and I am sure it works wonders on reluctant new recruits. However, I can't help but notice that you did not get any stitches for it, nor did it heal properly."

Leah ran her fingertip against the scar and jumped out of surprise when Hypatia's hand covered her own on her cheek.

"It's quite deep, but it seems quite uneven." She paused. "I could make a pomade for you. I'm sure that I have some dry calendula from last month."

The guard looked hesitant so the doctor squeezed her hand a little tighter. "Please, come back tomorrow, I'll have it ready in no time at all. It just needs some time to set." 

The hand on her cheek gently moved to stoke her chin, making Leah shiver. The guard straightened her jacket and smiled. 

"I'll see if I can."

 

\---

 

Perched on the edge of the examination table, Leah giggled under her breath as she noticed that the doctor was on the tip of her toes to match her height. The pomade felt incredibly cold against her cheek, but after a few strokes of her thumb, it began to warm up.

"If you use it twice a day, you will notice that the scar will appear a lot less visible in…let’s say, two to three weeks?"

"Three weeks? That’s good. I suppose I would still be at Addermire."  
Hypatia seemed perplexed.  
"Are you planning on departing?"  
"Oh I’m not. But with Addermire, you never know who comes and goes.

"I.. I don't understand. I didn't know Addermire was a place of exile for guards -"  
"It's not, it's just  _strategic._ They send here the guards who ask too many questions."  
"What about you?"  
"You know, I joined the grand guards when I was just old enough for it. I worked under the former Duke and I really understood what justice meant. We used to bring peace and security to the city. But now it's ... _different_. Now they fear us. I was one of the lucky ones to be part of the  _First attachment to the Duke_  after he got his new Palace built. This place reeks of money and corruption. When I started asking questions about the origin of Duke's fortune, I received my transfer warrant. Could have been worse, could have been the Dust District."  
Leah spat.  
"The Dust District..." Hypatia said pensively, as if there was something mystical attached to the name. "I haven't been able to visit the minors in... weeks… months maybe? I... I can't remember, the Duke ordered me to stay at Addermire... I've barely been able to go back to my apartment these past weeks..."  
Her voice broke at the end of the sentence and Leah felt suddenly revolted. Acting on impulse, she took the doctor's wrist in her hand and squeezed a little bit tighter than would have been proper.  
"I could take you to the Dust District." 

 

\---

 

The slight apprehension Leah had before secretly taking Hypatia to the Dust District immediately faded away as she observed the doctor's face lighting up when a passer-by recognised her. 

"Doctor Hypatia! It's such a pleasant surprise! Are you finally back from the island?" 

She quickly glanced at Leah before offering the man a benevolent smile. 

"Not now but I hope to be soon."

It took them a lot more time than it should have due to the odd amount of guards patrolling the area, but Hypatia knew the area better than anyone else and decided to head for the black market. 

"The black market?" Leah asked, and for a second, Alexandria wondered if she might have made a mistake. "Of course. Do lead the way."

 

It did not take long before Hypatia had her small setup ready. Leah was sitting on a pile or wood in a dark corner, trying her best to conceal her guard uniform and weapons. 

She expected the doctor to be popular among the lower classes, but she did not think she would be so highly praised and loved. 

The elite guard sat back and smiled. The scene was almost surreal, with Hypatia standing out in a warm halo of light enveloping her from above while she was busy mending the growing group of people gathered around her. It reminded Leah of one of the many religious paintings the Abbey used to illustrate their books, except that this one was real and far more beautiful. 

Hypatia is patient, merciful, and most importantly, she is _kind_. Truly and genuinely kind. So kind it almost broke Leah's heart. Of course, she knew that the doctor would never let anyone disrespect her, but who on earth would do such thing? 

At one particular moment, Hypatia's eyes rose to meet Leah's and the guard was taken aback by the vibrancy of her irises. She felt a delicious warmth engulfing her body from her head to her toes, and judging by the smile stretching the doctor's mouth, Leah knew she was well aware of it. 

She smiled back, swearing to herself that she would do everything in her power to keep Alexandria Hypatia happy. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> The next chapter is probably going to be nsfw. I'm always open to reviews so please drop a little comment if you can, that would mean the world to me! ♥


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